Drug interactions
Ethanol + Ketamine
Severity: Major
Ethanol and Ketamine: major interaction.
Last updated Sources: US FDA label
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Alcohol and ketamine both depress CNS function and impair coordination, judgment and psychomotor performance. Together they can cause profound sedation, vomiting with aspiration risk, and respiratory depression.
What this interaction means in plain words
Ethanol and Ketamine can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression via GABAergic enhancement by ethanol and NMDA antagonism by ketamine.
What to do
Advise patients to avoid alcohol around ketamine use, and in intoxicated patients reduce the dose and monitor airway and respiration closely.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Does the benefit of taking both outweigh the risk in my case?
- Do I need any blood test, ECG or other check while on both?
- What early warning signs should I watch for, and what should I do if they appear?
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References
Other interactions of Ketamine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Ethanol with Ketamine?
MediHelp rates the interaction as major. Ethanol and Ketamine can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for. Alcohol and ketamine both depress CNS function and impair coordination, judgment and psychomotor performance. Together they can cause profound sedation, vomiting with aspiration risk, and respiratory depression.
How serious is the interaction between Ethanol and Ketamine?
MediHelp rates it major, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Advise patients to avoid alcohol around ketamine use, and in intoxicated patients reduce the dose and monitor airway and respiration closely.
What other medicines interact with Ketamine?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Ketamine with, for example, Benzhydrocodone / acetaminophen, Brexanolone, Buprenorphine buccal. The full list is on the Ketamine page.
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